• Feb. 14, 1997 — Bob and Alice Knechtel of Mount Shasta see their daughter Karin Knechtel-Mero at the home of Ed Henline Sr. and his wife Debbie Henline at East Minnesota Avenue in McCloud. Mero was 27 at the time of her disappearance and was last seen Feb. 14, 1997 at the Henline residence. …

We do not care how you know. We do not care who you are. We do not care where you’re from. BUT… We DO want to know if you know something, ANYTHING about Hannah’s disappearance. Please fill out this form…we CANNOT trace this submission through ANY means. This is 100% ANONYMOUS!! Please help! It’s been …

Karen Elizabeth Knichtel Mero Missing Since: February 28,1997 McCloud, California Date Of Birth: May 21, 1969 Age: 27 years old Height and Weight: 5’8, 170 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Mero has a scar on her face near her nose and a surgical scar on her lower abdomen from a liver …

Yes the charges have been dropped at this time…it will be ok. We really need more people to come forward and tell what they know. How this evil man has such a hold on people telling the truth is beyond me. This is a stumbling block for sure, but far from over. Truth will win. Just going to be later than sooner.

The family of Hannah Zaccaglini is very pleased with the recent arrest of Ed Henline, Sr. We would ask that all press please give the family some time to absorb everything. We would like to thank the Siskiyou Sheriff’s Department, including Detective Moser and Sheriff Lopey. As well as District Attorney Andrus.

We would also like to state that we are thinking of Karen Mero and her family at this time. She is always not far from our thoughts and we pray that her family will start to find some answers as well.

Again, please give the family some time to deal with these recent events. Thank you.

~The Zaccaglini Family.

***ALL PRESS INQUIRIES ARE TO BE MADE VIA THE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR HANNAH****

A red Dodge Dakota pickup, owned by Ed Henline, Sr., sits on the side of Highway 89 Thursday morning after Sheriff’s deputies initiated a traffic stop and arrested him for the murder of Hannah Zaccaglini, who was 15 years old when she disappeared in 1997.

McCloud, Calif. — Fifteen years after 15 year old Hannah Zaccaglini disappeared, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department arrested Ed Henline, Sr., 67 of McCloud, for her murder.
Henline, Sr. was arrested on Highway 89 at Snowman Summit at approximately 8:15 a.m. this morning, Nov. 15. He will be held at Siskiyou County Jail without bail, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Allison Giannini.
On June 5, 1997 Hannah went missing shortly after being last seen walking in vicinity of the Henline home with Mr. Henline, said Giannini. For several months, Sheriff’s detectives from the Major Crimes Unit have been “vigorously pursuing” new and previous investigative leads, which led to the arrest of Mr. Henline, Giannini said.
Some leads were generated by new witnesses, but detectives believe there are other citizens with knowledge about Hannah’s disappearance and the circumstances leading to her death.
“I am proud of the exemplary investigative efforts of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, which tenaciously and relentlessly pursued investigative leads in this case which ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect, Mr. Henline,” said Sheriff Jon Lopey. “This has been a long, arduous and emotionally tumultuous journey for the investigators and this tragic case has been extremely difficult for the loving family and friends of Hannah Zaccaglini. Family members and friends have had to live with the grief, uncertainty, and irrevocable loss associated with her disappearance for over 15 long years.”
Lopey continued, “the Department has been working very closely with the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office to ensure charges are filed against Mr. Henline and any involved co-conspirators.”
Lopey called attention to several agencies who assisted in various phases of the investigation, including California Department of Justice (Bureau of Investigations and Redding Crime Lab), Siskiyou County Wide Interagency Narcotics Task Force, Yreka and Weed Police Departments, California Highway Patrol, Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office Investigative Unit, Siskiyou County Probation Department and Western States Intelligence Network.
“This arrest resulted from good old-fashioned police work, the dauntless efforts of our investigators, the collective efforts of many law enforcement agencies and the support of witnesses willing to provide information about the case,” Lopey said. “The arrest of Mr. Henline reinforces one important point and that is that the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office will vigorously and relentlessly pursue criminals whom prey on children and adults in our county. This case, although still on-going, also serves as a small measure of closure to the family and friends of Ms. Hannah Zaccaglini and I am grateful for the hard work and determination of those law enforcement professionals participating in this major investigative effort. On behalf of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, I would also like to take this opportunity to extend our thoughts, prayers and sincere condolences to Hannah’s family and friends.”
The Sheriff’s Office is also conducting a parallel investigation involving the disappearance of another McCloud resident, Ms. Karen Knechtel Mero, who was 27 at the time of her disappearance, also during 1997, and also from the McCloud area, said Giannini.
Those with information about Hannah’s case or Karen’s case are urged to contact Detective Jeff Moser of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at 530-842-8764. Calls may also be made to the SCSO 24-hour Dispatch Center at 530-841-2900.

UPDATE–Investigators were in full force in McCloud yesterday 11/9/12. Unclear if this was because of the bones being found or not.

Though they’re not releasing where they were found, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department reported Monday morning that bones found in the south county area have been sent to Chico State anthropologists for further analysis.

South Siskiyou County, Calif. — Though they’re not releasing where they were found, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department reported Monday morning that bones found in the south county area have been sent to Chico State anthropologists for further analysis.

“We are considering the possibility that these may be related to missing persons cold cases and do not want to jeopardize those investigations until we can clearly identify the remains,” said Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey.

Lopey said due to the location and state of the remains, including bones and bone fragments, no further information will be released until the anthropologists have completed their investigation.

Siskiyou County Sheriff’s spokesperson Allison Giannini said how quickly the investigation is completed depends on how busy the anthropologists are.
“Of course, we’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later,” Giannini said.
If anyone has information about the bones or any of the Siskiyou County cold cases, they are asked to contact Detective Jeff Moser at (530) 842-8764.

YREKA, Calif. – Sheriff’s detectives are opening up Hanna Zaccaglini’s 15-year-old cold case. The teen went missing while walking to a friends house on June 4, 1997.
Zaccaglini was 15 at the time and disappeared in the McCloud area.
Investigators say they’re opening up the case because of information they’ve gotten out of interviews. Detectives say this is information they didn’t have at the time Zaccaglini went missing.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff;s investigators say with this new information they are not only moving forward but feel confident the person responsible for Zaccaglini’s disappearance will be brought to justice.http://www.ktvl.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/ktvl_vid_1290.shtml

Left: Hannah as she looked when she disappeared from McCloud in 1997. Right: Hannah’s photo is age-progressed 20 years to show what she may look like today.

New information that wasn’t known to investigators when 15 year old Hannah Zaccaglini went missing from McCloud in 1997 are beginning to come to the surface, according to a press release from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

Hannah was last seen on June 4, 1997. This year marks the 15th anniversary of her disappearance.

Investigators have been interviewing subjects identified in the original case involving Hannah’s disappearance and have spent a considerable amount of time pursuing additional investigative leads, according to the release. Some of the people being interviewed are providing information that was not known to investigators at the time of the disappearance, the release states.

Hannah has a chipped left front tooth, a chicken pox scar near her right eyebrow and a birthmark behind her right ear. She has brown hair, brown eyes, was 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 120 pounds at the time of her disappearance.

“With this new information, investigators are moving forward and feel confident that the person or persons responsible for Hannah’s disappearance will be brought to justice,” according to the release.

“This case is a major priority for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and we will not rest until we solve Hannah’s case,” said Sheriff Jon Lopey. “We are making progress on the ongoing investigation but we firmly believe there are citizens out there who have information, either first or second hand, which could help us to resolve the questions and circumstances involved in Hannah’s disappearance.”

Anyone with information about Hannah Zaccaglini’s case is urged to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 841-2900 or contact Detective Jeff Moser at (530) 842-8764.